IS AN APT DESCRIPTION OF KARACHI THESE DAYS.. For no one is actually in charge and the ones who are supposed to be, are forever contradicting each other. Mr Rehman Malik, our most verbose and visible Interior Minister is caught on camera trying quite unsuccessfully to answer tough questions relating to mutilated bodies being discovered in different parts of the city, and incessant firings and killings in the city. He has no answers, and, I, along with 14 plus million people of this metropolis are now totally convinced that Karachi situation is beyond answers and beyond logic.
Some convoluted logic applied by the powers that be to bring peace to the city is adding fuel to fire and creating confusion worse confounded, making Karachi take on the image of Hell.
- The Frontier Constabulary is called out in the city and given the powers of police! A step not supported by the police chief Wajid Durrani, which says volumes about the lack of agreement on how to tackle this menace on part of the administration. Durrani made a categorical statement about two things - he said that there will be "targeted operation" in Karachi and others specific raids. Whereas on the same day and the same TV channels Mr. Malik specified that no operation will take place! Who is to be believed? and more importantly who is in charge here?
- Altaf Hussain is asking his people to gear up for an all out clash and foresees things going down hill in the next four weeks.
- Different parties and players are being posed against each other, ANP and Sunni Tehreek and MQM (h) against the old rival of PPP MQM. What does this serious state portend other than major bloodshed and street fighting which isn't a stranger to this city. There have been days of utter chaos in the past where the thugs and hooligans (militants) ruled the city and wreaked havoc. Many people have died in this flexing of muscles and show of strength.
- Is there a political solution to the Karachi problem? and if yes can it be solved through dialogue? and who are the political stake holders? for with every new sun rise there mushroom a few more!
- Why are the two most important office holders in Pakistan quite on the Karachi problem? Why doesn't the President fly here and play his role as an elder to bring an end to this killing game which is taking serious turn every day? What is more important than the sovereignty of the government and the unity of the country? what is sitting pretty in Islamabad for while our city is burning?
- The Prime Minister, looks and is quite ineffectual. So I rescind him the responsibility of addressing the issues in Karachi, for they are fairly complex and might not be easily understood by him, so let him do whatever insignificant things he's doing.
- The army chief is quite... he has nothing to say on the Karachi mayhem. Mr, Altaf whose out of the Government and is targeted by the rest of the parties is hoarse calling the army! His first demand is to deploy army in the province to stem the bloodshed - a quite reasonable demand for the local administration has failed miserably - but, and this is a big but - the government isn't budging and this raises so many questions... the only reason for the government's hesitancy in calling the army is that it has a clear playing field and is doing exactly what its being accused of that is - ethnic cleansing of the Urdu speaking people.
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